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330520
Planning Ahead: Intentions to Use Hospice in Older Adults


Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Lusine Nahapetyan, PhD, Department of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA
Pamela Orpinas, PhD, MPH, Health Promotion and Behavior, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Anne P. Glass, PhD, Institute of Gerontology, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Background: Multiple studies documented that hospice and palliative care are optimal models of quality and compassionate care for the end of life. Nevertheless, hospice services are underutilized in the United States and the majority of patients enroll for short periods of times. The objective of this study was to identify the significant predictors of intentions to use hospice in older adults in general population.

Methods: The sample included 169 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 69 ± 7.8; 69% females; 95% White). The Theory of Planned Behavior was used as the theoretical framework. Spearman correlation, analyses of variance, and multiple linear regression were used for the analyses.

Results: Hospice knowledge (beta = 0.31, p < .001), subjective norms (beta = 0.19, p = .003), perceived control (beta = 0.36, p < .001), and preferences of end-of-life care (beta = 0.17, p =.002) were significant predictors of intentions to use hospice.

Conclusion: Based on a theoretical framework, the results of this study suggest that intentions to use hospice in older adults are influenced by hospice knowledge, preferences for quality of life rather than aggressive treatments, normative beliefs towards hospice and perceived control to use hospice if faced with a terminal illness. These results provide better understanding of where to focus while developing interventions to educate older adults about hospice care options before a crisis happens, when patients and families are forced to comprehend complex information about hospice and make health care decisions within a short timeline.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related education
Public health or related nursing
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Identify the predictors of intentions to use hospice in older adults Assess the level of hospice knowledge in older adults Assess attitudes towards hospice in older adults

Keyword(s): Aging, End-of-Life Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: My main research interests in health promotion are in aging and end-of-life care. I have conducted research in this area for past 5 years. I co-author two peer-reviewed articles examining end-of-life care discussions in older adults and hospice development in Asia. The contents of this abstract represent a subset of my dissertation study. All study activities were approved by University of Georgia IRB.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4097.0: Palliative Care Roundtable